Topic: Ethics in Journalism

In-Depth Exploration of Journalistic Ethics

 Journalism is the activity or professions of writing for newspaper,

magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.
 Codes of Ethics for Journalism are a set of principles that guide
journalists in reporting the news. There five (5) accepted ethics of
journalism.

Codes of Ethics in Journalism

 Truth and Accuracy

1. Professional journalism stands on the foundation of “truth.”
2. Journalists cannot always guarantee truth, but getting the facts
right is the cardinal principle of journalism.
3. News must be well sourced, based on sound evidence, thoroughly
tested and presented in clear and precise language.
4. Journalists must not knowingly and materially mislead audiences.
They shouldn’t distort known facts and present invented materials
as facts.
5. Journalists must acknowledge serious factual errors and correct
them quickly, clearly, and appropriately.
 Impartiality
1. Journalists should maintain balance in their output.
2. Balancing story or media content means treating all those
concerned in equal footing.
3. Journalists shouldn’t overpraise or undermine anyone in their
story. They should give equal platform to both sides and all sides.
4. They must incorporate quotes/comments/statements from both
sides in their stories.
5. If one side is not available for the statement required for the story,
then the journalist must mention that he/she was not available for
the comments.
 Credibility
1. Credibility is key element for journalist to maintain ethical
journalism.
2. Journalists need to focus on fact, figures, sound, and solid
evidence.
3. They should always concentrate on digging out facts of the
particular subject matter if they are to maintain credibility.
  Accountability
1. Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and
explaining one’s decisions to the public.
2. Respond quickly to questions about accuracy, clarity, and fairness.
3. Corrections should be made when errors are discovered.
 Objectivity
1. Journalistic objectivity refers to fairness, disinterestedness,
factuality, and nonpartisanship.
2. Objectivity in journalism aims to help the audience make up their
own mind about a story, providing the facts alone and then letting
audiences interpret those on their own.
3. To maintain objectivity in journalism, journalists should present
the facts whether or not they like or agree with those facts.
4. Objective reporting is meant to portray issues and events in a
neutral and unbiased manner, regardless of the writer’s opinion or
personal beliefs.

Some other codes:

1. Avoid plagiarism.
2. Minimize harm.
3. Act independently.

Why is it needed?

1. To guide journalists what to do and what not to do.

2. To make journalists aware of their responsibilities.
3. To give journalists freedom of expression.
4. To make them aware of their limitations.
5. To minimize harm.
6. To assist journalists in dealing with ethical dilemmas.
7. To codes and canons provide journalists a framework for self-monitoring
and self-correction.

Reference:

Codes of ethics in journalism. (2018, March 29). [Slide show]. SlideShare.

https://www.slideshare.net/AjitKaliya/codes-of-ethics-in-journalism?
fbclid=IwAR1PF6KKMt79-pT3QGslogHFtWiGN1HkACKhJc-
w5M7R20M2F8quXnhHzRY
 Case Studies and Discussions on Ethical Dilemmas

 A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person,

group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. Case studies are
commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research.
 An ethical dilemma (ethical paradox or moral dilemma) is a problem in
the decision-making process between two possible options, neither of
which is absolutely acceptable from an ethical perspective.

Case Study 1: Reporting on Sensitive Information

Scenario: A journalist obtains leaked documents revealing classified

information about government surveillance programs aimed at combating
terrorism. Publishing the information could potentially compromise national
security but also inform the public about government overreach.

Ethical Dilemma: On one hand, the journalist has a duty to inform the
public about issues of significant public interest and hold the government
accountable. On the other hand, publishing sensitive information could
jeopardize national security and put lives at risk.

Discussion: Journalists must carefully weigh the public's right to know

against potential harm. They should consider the credibility of the source, the
potential consequences of publication, and whether alternative methods, such
as redacting sensitive details, could achieve transparency without endangering
lives.

Case Study 2: Conflict of Interest

Scenario: A journalist covering environmental issues is also a

shareholder in a company accused of polluting rivers. While reporting on the
environmental damage caused by the company, the journalist fails to disclose
their financial interest in the company.

Ethical Dilemma: The journalist's financial stake in the company

creates a conflict of interest, potentially biasing their reporting and
undermining journalistic integrity. Failing to disclose this conflict of interest
violates principles of transparency and undermines public trust.
 Discussion: Journalists must maintain independence and impartiality in
their reporting to ensure the credibility of their work. Transparency is crucial,
and journalists should disclose any potential conflicts of interest to their
audience to maintain trust and credibility. In this case, the journalist should
have recused themselves from covering stories involving the company or, at the
very least, disclosed their financial interest to the audience. These case studies
highlight the complex ethical considerations journalists face in their profession,
emphasizing the importance of upholding principles of truth, accuracy,
independence, and transparency in journalistic practice.

Case Study 3: Photo Manipulation in News Reporting

Scenario: A photojournalist covering a protest captures a powerful image

of a protester throwing a rock at the police. However, the photojournalist
decides to enhance the image by digitally increasing the size of the rock to
make it appear more dramatic.

Ethical Dilemma: The photojournalist faces an ethical dilemma

regarding the manipulation of the image. While the enhanced photo may be
visually compelling, it distorts the reality of the event and misleads the
audience about the severity of the protester's actions.

Discussion: Photojournalists have a responsibility to accurately and

truthfully represent events without altering the context or meaning of the
images they capture. Manipulating photos compromises the integrity of
journalism and undermines public trust. In this case, the photojournalist
should have refrained from altering the image and instead focused on
capturing the protest truthfully, even if the resulting photo was less visually
striking.

Case Study 4: Confidentiality vs. Public Interest

Scenario: A journalist receives leaked documents exposing corruption

within a government agency. The documents contain sensitive information
about individuals involved in illegal activities. Publishing the information could
damage the reputations of those individuals and potentially harm ongoing
investigations.
 Ethical Dilemma: The journalist must weigh the public's right to know
about government corruption against the potential harm caused by disclosing
sensitive information about individuals involved. Additionally, the journalist
faces ethical considerations regarding the protection of their confidential
source.

Discussion: Journalists have a duty to hold those in power accountable

and expose corruption in the public interest. However, they must balance this
with the need to minimize harm and respect individual privacy rights. In cases
involving leaked documents, journalists should assess the credibility of the
information, consider the potential consequences of publication, and seek legal
advice if necessary. Protecting the confidentiality of sources is crucial for
maintaining trust and encouraging whistle blowers to come forward. In this
scenario, the journalist should carefully redact any personally identifiable
information from the documents before publication and consult with legal
experts to mitigate potential legal risks.

References:

Journalism ethics. (n.d.). StoryMaker.

https://www.story-maker.org/library/journalism-ethics/#overview

Ogea, M. (2023). Journalism Ethics | Definition, History & Importance.

Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/journalism-code-ethics-
overview-importance.html
 Guest Lectures from Industry Professionals

Guest Lectures

 Collaboration between students and stakeholders beyond their

immediate learning community in the university is important for effective
learning.
 A growing body of literature puts forward that a purposeful, well-
organized, focused and interactive guest lecture session will enable
students to analyze, think critically and apply the theoretical concepts to
which they are exposed (Wetzel, 2012; Badia, 2015)

Guest Lecturer

 A guest lecturer is a person invited to present or speak regarding a topic

at an event where they are not the host, such as for a course or event.

Why incorporate guest lecturers?

 Guest Lecture provides the academic platform and conducive climate for
researchers and resource persons to share their knowledge with the
university community and the rest of the world while shaping the
thinking of society to help stimulate policy change.

Guest Lecture Series: Journalists Urged to Uphold Ethical Value

 The Registrar of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, Dr Koryoe

Anim-Wright, has charged journalists and news organizations to uphold
and aspire to professional standards of truth-telling, verification, and
ethics of public interest in order to deal with the challenge of fake news.
 She stated that the world is already experiencing a crisis for truth, and
therefore news gatherers and media outfits, irrespective of their political
ideology, should not serve as a conduit for disseminating untruth.
 Delivering a lecture on the topic “Ethics in News Reporting: The Post-
Truth Era,” the renowned communication specialist said the post-truth
era has been fuelled by new technology and the advent of new media.
 She added that “changes in new media and its antecedent impact on
news delivery have sharply impacted tried-and-true principles such as
accuracy and ethics.”
 “Today, from bloggers to tweeters to citizen journalists, the media sphere
is a shared one, and many are no longer concerned with the ethics and
purpose of journalism.”
  CEO of the Media General Group and chairperson to the lecture, Madam
Beatrice Agyemang Abbey share some insights with the audience.
 She opined that Ghana’s media landscape was not immune to the canker
of the post-truth era, which continues to witness a surge in
misinformation and disinformation.
 She said that regrettably, the falling standards of journalism practice
have been compounded by the proliferation of substandard journalism
training institutions as well as the low professional qualification for entry
level journalists.
 “It is assumed that people who lecture—like doctors, lawyers, and
engineers—cannot practice journalism. That is not true. I believe that for
where we find ourselves now, we need to get these people into our space
for them to share informed knowledge with us.

Reference:

Kwade, F. (2022, November 4). Guest Lecture Series: Journalists urged to uphold
ethical values. UPSA. https://upsa.edu.gh/guest-lecture-series-
journalists-urged-to-uphold-ethical-values/?
fbclid=IwAR3teQvlQq71E6G_M4-
tR6ib2B8AAxwu_okil0j4U0n96QZP08prscEdYq8